Faf du Plessis of South Africa has stormed up the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings following a stellar performance in Harare in which he scored 464 runs and played a leading role in his side’s victory in the triangular series.
Du Plessis hit three centuries and a half-century for which he has been rewarded with a jump of 33 places that has put him just outside the top 10 in 11th position. The middle-order batsman had arrived in Zimbabwe in 54th position on 519 ratings points but returned home in 11th position on 701 ratings points. These are his career-best ranking and ratings, to date.
Du Plessis is the fourth South Africa batsman to feature inside the top 11 with captain AB de Villiers regaining the number-one position from team-mate Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock slipping two places to ninth.
Amla had entered the triangular series leading de Villiers by one ratings point. He dropped 22 ratings points after scoring 172 runs, which handed the top spot back to de Villiers who retained his pre-series ratings points of 869 following his series total of 215 runs with a century and a half-century.
Australia’s Aaron Finch, who finished the series as the second leading run-getter with 250 runs, has gained 18 places and has moved to a career-high 34th spot while Finch’s partner, Phil Hughes, has moved up 24 places to 47th after scoring 161 runs in his comeback series.
The tournament has also helped Zimbabwe’s players to improve their rankings.
Off-spinner Prosper Utseya and fast bowler Tendai Chatara have leaped 10 and 14 places to reach 34th and 56th positions, respectively. Utseya was the third leading wicket-taker of the tournament behind Dale Steyn and Nathan Lyon.
Steyn’s 10 wickets for 212 runs in the tournament have seen him move up one spot to number three in the ICC Players Rankings for ODI Bowlers.
South Africa’s spin duo of Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso have also achieved career-best rankings. Tahir has moved up 10 places to 26th position while Phangiso has gained 28 spots and he is now in 68th spot.